Cage Warriors 59: Blackwell v Edwards

The fight, which is to be contested over two five-minute rounds - with an additional overtime round in the event of a draw - on the preliminary card, will serve as an alternate bout for the CWFC bantamweight title tournament, which is scheduled for the same night.

Martin McDonough, Brett Johns, James Pennington and David Haggstrom will compete in the four-man event, with the victor clinching the vacant 135lbs belt.

The winner of the Blackwell-Edwards clash will be put on standby to enter the tournament if a vacancy arises due to one of the participants being deemed unable to continue because of injury or not receiving medical clearance.

Fighting in his native Wales, Edwards (8-5) will be making his fifth CWFC appearance and returns to the 135lbs division following a flyweight loss to Shaj Haque at Cage Warriors 54 in May, a bout for which he was unable to make weight.

The 23-year-old, who holds wins over James Brum and Brian Hyslop, said: “I’m over the moon to have the chance to fight in Cardiff again and I’m hoping to make it third-time-lucky. Cutting to 125lbs was too much for me so I’m hoping to put on my best performance yet and to get a chance to re-sign with Cage Warriors.”

Blackwell (11-9-1), a 28-year-old Englishman who’s unbeaten in his last four outings, returns to fight for Cage Warriors for the first time since at 2007 victory against Ashley Smith.

“Kris Edwards is a ranked UK fighter so this is a big opportunity for me,” said Blackwell. “Fighting on Cage Warriors is a great chance that I welcome and I’m excited about. Kris is skilled and well-rounded, I respect his abilities and I’m looking forward to stepping in there with him.”

Tickets for Cage Warriors 59, priced from just £25 (plus booking fee), are available to purchase HERE.

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